The kitchen, the hub of our home and there is never enough counter space! I don’t know about you but I want our counters and shelves to be beautiful and functional. In this blog post I’m going to talk about how to decorate and style kitchen counters.
Take a quick look at your kitchen. Where do your eyes land? Do you see kitchen appliances or general clutter?
Today I’m sharing simple ways to style and decorate your kitchen counters so they will be both pretty and functional.
5 ideas for decorating and styling your kitchen countertops
Today I was looking at my counters and I noticed dog treats, pepper mills, salt bowls, two crocks, and of course my coffee maker. It’s easy for the kitchen countertops to be a drop off place too for things like purses, pencils, empty grocery bags etc..
What is the purpose of your countertops? How do you intend to use them? For me there are two things:
- I need to have items at my fingertips that will help with cooking and daily tasks
- Actual meal prep
Other than that, there is definitely room for pretty, seasonal decor. The best way to start is to remove almost everything from your countertops and go from there.
Start first with the items you need to have at your fingertips to help your cook and accomplish daily tasks.
Here’s my list:
- Olive oil dispenser (find unique ceramic dispensers on Etsy)
- Salt and pepper bowls and/or pepper mill
- Coffee pot and canister
- Cook book holder
- Vase (I have two of these) for dried flowers and I also use jars for flowers in the kitchen
- Hand soap
- Bar mop towels plus one decorative towel
If you aren’t using it daily it might be something that you don’t need on your counter. My stand up mixer and instant pot are huge! The mixer goes in my pantry and the instant pot goes in the garage. I use my instant pot every week or so to make nutritious bone broth (recipe here) and that process is best done out of the kitchen. We like freshly brewed coffee in the morning so it’s no surprise that we have a simple coffee maker. Our Moccamaster is an older version of this one. They last forever and make delicious coffee.
Clean your sink
I know we’re talking counters but the sink is sort of part of that so make sure it’s clean.
- After washing the dishes, clean the sink with a gentle cleansing paste. I like to use Norwex cleansing paste because it’s gentle, fragrance free, and can be used on just about anything.
- If you have stains in your sink, head over to this blog post to see how to remove stains without bleach.
- Sinks can take on odors. The freshen the disposal area, add a few table spoons of course salt and on lemon (cut into small pieces) into the disposal as you run the water.
- Toss your existing sponge and open a fresh one. These are my favorite!
- Replace your towels. A good bar mop/towel that’s super absorbent is a must! I have a drawer full of bar mops to wipe up spills and to dry glasses.
Use corners as stations for coffee or breakfast foods
Breakfast oats, raisins, and brown sugar can be set near your stove for quick access on busy mornings. If you are in the market for really pretty canisters, these are the ones I have. Coffee bars are also a must! I make my coffee the night before so all I need to do is press ON in the morning. Use a ceramic canister to store your coffee. They are both pretty and functional.
If you have open shelving, store special dishes, mugs, pitchers, and vases there for easy access.
Cooking station
This is my favorite! I rotate my crocks to store wooden spoons, soup ladles, and pasta forks. On the other side I have my ceramic olive oil dispenser, salt, and pepper. It’s important to keep it simple, basic, and have on hand only what you use daily. You can corral your ‘pretties’ on a tray or marble slab if you’d like or if you have just a few items you may need nothing at all. A fun idea is to consider growing herbs in your kitchen. Follow my DIY for how to create an indoor garden.
Here are some ideas for your cooking station.
- crock with wooden spoons
- salt and pepper mill or ceramic bowls with spoons
- olive oil dispenser
- small candle
- add a plant (potted herbs are perfect) or a picture (planter)
Add wood anything
Bowls, vintage rolling pins, and stirring spoons come to mind! I fill my bowls with fruit and the spoons go into my crock for easy access when I’m cooking. Also if you want to take care of all you vintage wood pieces, make sure to check out how to make spoon butter! Nope, this isn’t something you put on your bread :) It’s a nontoxic treatment for your favorite wood pieces.
Fresh fruit
Fruit looks beautiful displayed in wood or ceramic bowls. In the wintertime I like to add lots of citrus with the stems on. The orange and green looks so fresh in the dark cold winter months. It also encourages us to snack on healthy, vitamin C rich foods.
Display cookies, cake, or your favorite treat
If you have the space, have your favorite coffee cake or cookies out to serve family and friends. One of our favorite winter or early spring desserts is my Lemon Pound Cake. It’s always a hit (no left overs!). Don’t forget the icing!!
